fracturarpg | [mingle] the space (april).

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[mingle] the space (april).

interim mingle

( WELCOME BACK, TRAVELERS. )

There's nothing but the clatter of train tracks, and the odd feeling of almost floating.

When you wake, it's hard to tell exactly what it is that you're missing - only that you are. There are pieces that aren't quite right, even if you're not sure where those pieces would normally be. Pieces of what, exactly....? Well, if you had to put a word to it, it would be - yourself, probably. Or did you get something back recently? In addition, characters will find that they've been allowed to bring back souvenirs from this most recent trip - trinkets, nothing violent, but items that can fit in your character's pockets, whether that be sentimental or otherwise.

The place you've found yourself in is strange, certainly. It's probably worth exploring a bit. For those who have been here a while, they might notice some expansions. Though it just as easily seems that the only form of welcome or explanation that you have, comes from nothing more than a slab of marble.

It might've changed since the last time you saw it. Today it reads:

(*´ω｀)o That wasn't so bad, was it?
Hey, you know how that old song goes?
Do you believe in magic? (☆▽☆) Do ya?

Hope you found what you were looking for!

You might have changed since the last time you saw yourself too - perhaps with a new emblem on your clothes, or a portrait on your skin. In addition to that, it seems like Home Base is on the fritz again…?

It seems that suddenly and at random, characters will be able to suddenly see visions of memories that aren't their own flash before their eyes. Pieces of your lives or where you were before this will suddenly slam into other's heads, as clearly as if they experienced the event and the feelings themselves. You might have an inkling of where your memory went and what it was - but you'll need to talk it out with that person in order to recollect it in all its strength back to yourself. Don't you want to keep those precious parts of yourself? It's best if you don't fall more to pieces while you're here. (Memories that have been lost in fragments cannot be sent to others - that's more fun for the future!)

There's no need to fret that much though. You've already gone through the ordeal once, and you might be able to see results from it. Or maybe you'll get a glimpse of where you're going next. Even so, it's best that you don't get too comfortable, because there is still the unshakeable feeling:

There's still much more ahead of you.

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[ THIS IS A FAMILY FRIENDLY HAREM GAME though the odds of triggering this minievent with IRIS OF ALL PEOPLE is like. close to zero percent? so he guesses that the RNG gods are finally here to smite him down for his gremlin deeds like he deserves.

he thought about lying again, but then he remembers what happened at the previous world SO. ]

I-- was just seeing things, promise. I thought you were my Director, but she's not here, so I wanted to make sure.

[ and he thought he was all by himself too?! but yeah he's totally guilty. he may have played his share of ecchi games before, but he's not That stupid. ]

[HMMMMMMMMMM. She..... looks more tired with every passing second before sighing, keeping her back pressed against the other side of the hot spring. Her long long hair's been gathered up into a messy bun, so she supposes it can be... a little harder to recognize her....]

... this place does seem to have a few... quirks... and it's not like I think you'd do something like that normally so...

[ . . . ]

Just mind your hands...

[she supposes she can forgive as long as they stay

very far apart. she's played otome games. she has no interest in this cutscene but the story can't proceed without it!]

I will. You have my word on that.

[ he gulps. he'd love to press SKIP on this particular scene too and jump to another minievent, but he can't risk getting up without showing everything to iris and that'd just trigger a game over for the both of them. lordt, who knew playing a two-player otome game would be This Hard?!

so yes he'll stay on his side of the bath, and normally he'd whip out his phone and check through his apps to make things less awkward but obviously it's not here... time to break the ice, he supposes. ]

So... How was your first isekai? I mean-- worldjump? [ he still doesnt have a name for it BUT HE CANT JUST CALL IT AN ISEKAI NOW THAT SHE'S BACK TO NORMAL ]

[she can't believe forcequitting this cutscene is going to be so much more dangerous than just accepting it. how does she get out. her towel is suddenly so far away. she's already trying to think of a plan out just to save the both of them when he asks her that question -

and it gets her to laugh, startled as she is]

Oh.... I wanted to tell you in... a less awkward way... but - well, let's start with that you can call me Iris.

[she sinks a little more into the water....]

And it occurs to me now that I regained a piece of myself that it wasn't my first isekai.

[ that gets him to tilt his head in interest. ]

You mean like, outside of dreams or whatever?

[ because itaru's had a Whole Bunch of dreams where he's transported into the world of the plays he's acted in; it gets him into character effectively, but obviously this world is an entirely different ballgame. ]

But I thought you only went by Iris in that world. There are some cases where you completely forget who you originally are to the point of going by another name, though...

[ unless...? ]

[how does she explain this... it seems like she's choosing her words for a moment.]

No, I... Well, where I was before this, I went by Iris there as well. Iris Lana Armelia, the daughter of Duke Armelia, bloodline second only to the royal family. Normally I wouldn't say this, because I would introduce myself instead as Alice, a villager in a fief. Mm, perhaps I was a bit more dishonest than I should have been in our first meeting but...

I grew a bit tired of juggling so many identities?

[she really just doesn't see the damn point anymore! it's exhausting and a waste of her energy when being honest would be far more practical for her. a village girl can't really talk as authoritatively as she needs.]

Which is to say - Iris Lana Armelia was a character in an otome game that I played in my other life. Until one day I truly isekai'd into her body. This body.

[a hand rises from the water then to indicate to - herself. silver hair, blue eyes, and all.]

Are you following, Itaru? Mm, no, I suppose I would refer to you as Chigasaki-san.... [shE'S WELL AND TRULY ISEKAI'D] I was hoping that if anyone would understand the genre, it would be you...

[ OH.

WELL.

that... actually makes sense? yet at the same time he's completely floored?? it's just very jarring to hear someone as regal as iris to say words like "otome games" and "isekai" with no shade of irony whatsoever. then again, he really isn't one to talk...

give him a moment to process this until he finds his voice. ]

N-No, I completely get what you're saying. You were straight-up reincarnated into a medium that you were totally into, right? But... why were you reincarnated in the first place?

[ because reincarnation isekais usually involve the protagonist dying beforehand, so... oof</> ]

Edited 2020-04-20 01:09 (UTC)

[she snaps her fingers at his assessment]

Precisely that! You are quick on the uptake. I appreciate that.

[it's one of her favorite traits? she has to ask him to work for her but like. not when they're naked,]

As for your question in return... I can't quite say. That part still seems to be muddled - though if it's been taken from me as my previous memories were, perhaps I'll uncover it in time.

[ there are worse situations where one gets spontaneously hired for a job anyway, but... yeah, ]

Mm, that seems to be the case.

[ nodnod ]

Actually, I've been working with Wei Wuxian on the frequency and the reliability of retrieving missing pieces of ourselves in these pocket worlds. It was a little hard to get data because Wu was acclimated into that world - like in your case back there - but... it seems that the theory that getting these pieces back based on how the worlds would affect us on a personal level holds some water.

Ah, but we still need more test runs. We also don't know why certain people are getting acclimated in those worlds as if they've lived in that world for their entire lives, since that happened to me before that magic-school world happened. Seems that there's RNG involved?

[ ......... he's totally rambling at this point. he's very passionate about isekai, okay. and he does want to figure out how this world works. at the very least, he's no longer anxious about being naked in a bath with iris as long as they maintain this distance from one another. ]

[wow, business talk. it's her favorite, actually. she seems to be tuned in immediately the second that itaru says something about data collection - ]

Ah... That would make sense - I regained memories of my... past past life after something happened in the previous world that struck a bit close to the first time that the memories came back to me. So perhaps it's something akin to how closely it's attuned to what pieces we're missing, along with the level of emotional stake involved.

But whether or not you're "isekai'd" as it were - if you are to retain your own memories when transferred to another life, or if you're simply a fish in water and completely take to it... I wonder if there's some measure of reason for it.

[and it's immediately in her nature to ask:]

Could I ask you to develop a report to that effect? Even typed on your smartphone is fine until we can locate a printer.

Sure, I can do that. It'd be a lot easier if I type it out in a laptop, but the shop is still lacking an electronics section for some reason.

[ he always be on that phone anyway ]

Am I going to get paid for this, I wonder? Haha, just kidding. Never thought I'd miss my job back home, but honestly I kinda do.

[ tries not to imagine the huge possibility of getting fired since he's been gone for SO LONG, ]

Ideally the next location we arrive at will allow for more technology - but until then, we can substitute it with this.

[to answer his laptop question - she'd love to provide, but unfortunately she cannot. she can't remember the last time she touched a laptop anyway, world hops aside. though at the mention of his job....]

If you're in search of work, I'd be happy to hire you - even on an interim basis until we return to our respective homes, if you so desire. In lieu of an immediate paycheck, a contract for wages after the fact or benefits can be negotiable at a later date.

[workaholic meets workaholic,

also she mostly means a later date afTER THEY PUT ON SOME CLOTHES]

[ writing out a report using pong... but man, she means business here. itaru isn't even that much of a workaholic and would rather avoid that much responsibility when he's having a Time of his life in his own isekai adventure--

but he's not gonna lie, iris's enthusiasm is infectious enough to spur someone like him into action. ]

I'd rather we discuss more as soon as possible, really. Preferably after we get out of the bath? [ he read her mind, ] Let's talk about it over strawberry milk, while we're still here.

[ drinking milk after a session in an onsen always hits different, you know? ]

[wonderful, beautiful, he suggested it first and that means she gets to set the terms (is that really how it works, iris)

so she's just going to give him a very pleased smile, tilting her head even as one hand will move to the messy bun of hair atop her head, giving it a tug so that her silver hair can unravel and fall over her shoulders. she runs her fingers through it as she illustrate her plan:]

Sounds perfect to me - but I'm afraid I must get through washing my hair first. I'll attend to that [with her back TURNED toward the exit] and meet you outside?

And if you wouldn't mind watching the door until I'm done, I'd appreciate it.

[just so she doesn't have to share the bath with anyone else

he hasn't even gotten his contract but she's gonna put a boy to work]

[ this isn't going to be a one-sided deal, though!! but it has been a while since itaru has had to prepare for an interview of some sort; he was immediately hired by his company a few years back and has stuck with them since.

well, he's intrigued on what iris wants to talk about in particular, so he may as well humor her. ]

Mm, of course. [ although he's not going to lie - seeing iris with her hair up is definitely SSR-worthy in his book. ] If you could just-- turn away for a hot second...

[ he's going to rise from the warm waters and wrap a towel around himself, padding towards the door and closing it. he's actually pretty amazed that they were both able to get through that ill-timed cutscene pretty maturely? there is a difference between dealing with a fictional chara and a real one, after all, and after going through so many shit in the previous world, she's undeniably gotten his respect.

so yeah, he's going to get dressed and grab a couple bottles of strawberry milk as promised, and wait for her outside. he's used to doing favors for his director back home, so this is no skin off his nose. ]

[at the request, she'll do as asked - turning her back to him and keeping her gaze trained on the surroundings and only the surroundings. she's seen this in otome games before, and she's not interested in seeing where this cg goes, thanks! once he's exited, she'll resume her bath with the reassurance that there's a guard at the door.

there might be a slight skip in her step as she exits, donning a yukata in accordance with the setting. she does love finding capable people to hire. there's an attempt to towel dry her long, long hair as she sees him and goes to join him.]

Thank you very much for your help, and please pardon my less than pristine state. [seeing people with her hair still damp.... her maids would cry. she would cry if it was any situation but this one.] I hope you weren't waiting long?

[ oh, he takes it back - this look is just as SSR-worthy. maybe it'd be the unbloomed version of the card?

--no, he can't think about stupid shit like that right now. this is clearly why people should get dressed accordingly for interviews. well, he's going to take her seriously no matter how she's dressed, so. ]

Oh, no, it wasn't a bother at all.

[ he offers her the bottle of milk as promised. it's a little silly offering a kiddie drink like that while talking about business, come to think about it. ]

See, I'd say "let's get down to business", but I'm not exactly sure what you're going to hire me for. It's not as if you could pay me in cash when all the amenities here are free.

[ LIKE... WHAT'S THE POINT ]

[the bottle of milk is taken with an appreciative smile as she moves to sit with him, humming thoughtfully at the mention. she was thinking about this in the bath and gives her proposals - ]

It would depend on what you would like, I suppose. Presuming that we are able to return to our homes even briefly at the end of all this, I should be able to procure a gem or something of value that could be sold in exchange for a sizable sum of yen even when you return to - modern Japan, isn't it? Ah, how jealous I am...

[but she won't linger on that. she can hardly entertain the idea of going back to that life]

I merely feel as though work should be given reward, and if you continue to produce results, it would be a boon for me to know that there are trustworthy and effective people to keep in my employ. Consider it akin to working together, with mutual benefit.

If you miss working, and I miss it as well - why not resume our previous positions to the best we are able? Perhaps we might even be able to regain those fragments of ourselves that are supposedly missing.

Ehh...

[ OH, SHE... REALLY MEANS BUSINESS... he's feeling sluggish all of a sudden. no - he's feeling faint from all the work he's going to do in the middle of his isekai adventures. it's like being given a set of questions from a teacher for a school trip and expecting it to be done after said trip's over. whyyyyy ]

With all due respect, working together to gather data in the next world ain't gonna be easy. Like, Wei Wuxian and I planned on doing it before we entered Algos, but I was the only guy who remembered the objectives of the mission while Wu was practically seducing me to kill him for the vine 'cause he was integrated in that world without remembering any of our plans. I had no choice but to solo until the world's done.

[ it was real lonesome, okay! he literally had to end wwx's life for data...

itaru chugs down the milk as if it was the best shot of wine he's had in years. ]

Basically, if the both of us were to be, uhh... I guess we could call it "reincarnated" in that world, we won't get any data done. Best case scenario is for both of us to retain our memories of right now, but there's a fifty-fifty chance of ether of us being taken in by that world. I just found out that there's an RNG factor when it comes to the number of people who'd think they're born in that specific world, so we don't even know where to start with that.

[ he pauses for effect, almost. ]

Oh, but. I won't deter you from paying me with actual cash once this isekai's 100% completed. I could totally use the money for whaling. And... I guess I could show you around modern Japan too? I bet you miss playing all sorts of games and watching your fave shit since, huh.

[ this poor girl... and curse notsco for not having any way of entertaining themselves with animanga crap. he'd take shitty bootlegs at this point. ]

[there's almost a wistful sigh at the mention of playing games - ]

If there's any new dating sims or outcomes that have been particularly enjoyable, I simply insist that you not breathe a single word to me. Even without the risk of spoilers, I've gone so many years without playing them now, I'm almost afraid how avid I'd be over them again if I got a taste....

[SHE'S LIVING IN AN OTOME NOW, but she never sees any of the love interests because they're actually shitty, it's fine.

though aside from that, she'll just manage a smile as she opens up her own milk, tilting her head]

And so it is why I hope to enlist as many people to work together as possible moving forward - if even five of us were to remain ourselves, that will have to be enough. Beggars cannot be choosers, as it were, and I dislike the concept of a large margin for error. Beginning with the data that you and I collect, with what we have, it can at least build momentum and some concept of how to move forward.

Even if it is not easy, it has to be done for all of our sakes. Is that not reason enough to work toward it?

[SHE RUNS ON IDEALISM, DATA, AND EXTENSIVE PLANNING - and something in her tone says that she'll be doing this whether itaru helps her or not.... she would just very much appreciate a second set of eyes to help where possible.]

[ itaru falls silent at her spiel, gives himself a moment to mull over it. ]

You sure are driven for someone who just arrived here a few weeks ago, huh.

[ man, the more she talks, the more he's reminded of her director at home, and how much he actually wants to go home after their stint here is done... whenever that is. he takes another swig of his milk, and: ]

Well, Wu would probably appreciate another set of eyes with our research. Only problem is that he's been integrated in this world twice since we met, so I'm not so sure with the odds of him retaining memories in the next run. Still, you should keep an eye out for him either way - he's kinda like the exposition chara where he gives you bits and pieces of what each world is like.

It really won't be easy, 'specially with the RNG against us but... You can count me in. [ this is obviously an event flag in disguise, though iris's conviction might have something to do with it. itaru does have the data she'd need, after all. ] Does this mean you're my boss now or something? Either way, we can talk about my worldly salary some other time.

[ HE SHOULD BE PAID FOR EVERY WORLD THEY GO IN, OBVIOUSLY, ]

[itaru and wwx both being remixed for the next world is so much funnier now, given that iris is going to have to hustle to get more of the work done herself. regardless she listens, nodding along before she sips some more of her drink.

the question makes her smile though, confident and assured]

I suppose I am your new boss, at least for your temporary employment. ♥ Welcome to the Azuta Corporation, it'll be a pleasure working with you. Regular feedback from employees is encouraged, as nothing will make a company stronger than communication and allowing the experts to say what they must.

Feel free to continue to address me as Iris, no formal speech needed or desired. Even if some days I might miss being called 'my lady' more than expected.... [though she's just teasing, if the overly wistful tone in her voice is anything to go off of]

If there's anything you might need or want, simply say the word. I try my best to look after those who agree to be mine, even if for a short time.

Since when did you have a corporation...

[ YOU KNOW WHAT, he can play along with this. itaru doesn't hate his day job in the least, given that he was paid and treated by his coworkers and bosses fairly well, and he can assume that iris is one of those easy to work with, diplomatic types. ]

Mm, sounds good to me. Even though I'm yours for a limited time, we'll get to the bottom of this together, one way or another. Though you might want to grind for more mats if you want me to stay on permanently.

[ kind of like how you have to fulfill certain requirements in order to make him join the team after the event's over. the niggling thought about the RNG factor of what they're going to be in the next worldhop continues to loom over him, but he's going to tap iris's bottle of milk with his for a toast anyway. ]

Here's to working with you, Iris.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[mingle] the space (april).

IT'S NOT WHAT YOU THINK, QUEEN

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